Director, External Innovation, Neuroscience

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity.

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is recruiting for a Director, External Innovation, Neuroscience to join our External Innovation Group, part of Neuroscience Discovery group based in London, UK. Our expertise in Innovative Medicine is informed and inspired by patients, whose insights fuel our science-based advancements. Visionaries like you work on teams that save lives by developing the medicines of tomorrow. Our Neuroscience team tackles the world’s toughest brain health challenges including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, myasthenia gravis, epilepsy, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and autism. This patient-focused team helps address some of the most complex diseases of our time. Join us in developing treatments, finding cures, and pioneering the path from lab to life while championing patients every step of the way.

In your role, you will identify external licensing and collaboration opportunities to augment and enable our internal discovery activities. You will work closely with your colleagues within Neuroscience as well as those in External Scientific Innovation (ESI), Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC), and Business Development (BD). You will be instrumental in our mission of building a transformational Neuroscience portfolio to develop novel treatments for Neurodegenerative and Neuropsychiatric Diseases as well as treatments for Geographic Atrophy. This will require excellent communication and teamwork skills, an appetite for innovation, as well as keen attention to detail and organization. You should have considerable drug discovery experience, a sense of purpose and drive, and a passion to address the considerable unmet medical need in Neuroscience. This position to be based out of our London, UK office. The role will require the candidate to work across time zones as we are a global organization.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Acts as an experienced drug hunter who can identify external opportunities that are aligned with our Disease Area Strongholds in Neuroscience. Specifically, Neurodegeneration, Neuropsychiatry and Ophthalmology.
• Work cross-functionally to identify, source, prioritize, and lead scientific assessment of external opportunities that could be leveraged for licensing, joint development, investment opportunities (i.e. JJDC), and strategic alliances.
• Ability to shape our External Innovation Strategy and deliver innovative ideas that use internal (e.g. ESI or BD) and external connections (e.g. biotech, pharma, and academia) to demonstrate your ability to anticipate the evolution of the marketplace and competition.
• Ensure an available pool of assets across all early phases through business model creation, innovation acquisition and collaborations as well as lead initiatives to shape external opportunities e.g. quick fire challenges.
• Scientific credibility to lead interactions with senior leaders at governance meetings, venture, academic research centers, and other external parties.
• Lead scientific engagement in the external ecosystem in the form of scientific symposium to strengthen collaborations and showcase thought leadership.
• Manage documentation & database of all in-bound enquiries and opportunities.
• Effective oral and written communication to ensure alignment across functions and within the neuroscience department.

Education and Experience Requirements

• A PhD degree with a minimum of 10 years of experience in Neuroscience research or 7 years of demonstrable experience in Pharmaceutical R&D.
• Demonstrated track record in drug discovery.
• Demonstrated expertise in Neurodegeneration, Neuropsychiatry, and/or Geographic Atrophy.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong internal and external networks.
• Proactively creates a purpose driven environment by aligning Johnson & Johnson’s Credo and Leadership Imperatives with the strategies and goals of the team and enterprise.
• Must be able to work independently with minimum supervision to meet tight deadlines, and maintain a positive attitude.

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, please contact us via https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers or contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

Please note that this role is available across multiple countries and may be posted under different requisition numbers to comply with local requirements. While you are welcome to apply to any or all of the postings, we recommend focusing on the specific country(s) that align with your preferred location(s): United Kingdom- Requisition Number: R-051367 Belgium- Requisition Number: R-051233. Remember, whether you apply to one or all of these requisition numbers, your applications will be considered as a single submission.